BiblicalInsights.net

“This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16-18).  In this text, lusts refers to unlawful or inordinate desire or desire that God forbids.  Lusts of the flesh war against the Spirit.  Lusts of the flesh war against the soul (I Pet. 2:11).  Lusts of the flesh can be overcome through being led by the Spirit.
In C.S. Lewis’, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, Edmund (one of the four children in the story) enters a wardrobe in an old house, only to discover that the wardrobe is a gateway to another world.  He meets a witch queen who asks him what he would like.  Edmund chooses Turkish Delight and the queen conjures up a box of it by magic–a box containing several pounds of pleasure.  Edmund has never tasted such delicious Turkish Delight.  The queen knows that Edmund’s brother and two sisters are aware of the wardrobe, and she wishes to lure them also into her power.  The Turkish Delight is her weapon, her means of control over Edmund.  It is enchanted Turkish Delight that never can satisfy and “anyone who had once tasted it would want more and more of it, and would even, if they were allowed, go on eating it till they killed themselves.”  Edmund’s desire for the Turkish Delight is kindled.  It becomes a powerful force within him and a temptation.
Lust is never satisfied.  Edmund desired more and more.  He would have consumed Turkish Delight until it destroyed him and his brother and sisters.  Such is the nature of lust.  Solomon wrote, “He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nore he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity” (Eccl. 5:10).  Covetousness is the desire for more and more.  Lasciousviousness is a work of the flesh (Gal. 5:19).  It is lack of restraint or uncontrolled desire.
Lust becomes a god when it consumes us.  There are many forms of idolatry.  Paul says that covetousness is idolatry (Col. 3:5).  When we permit our lusts to master us, then they become a god.  To worship food is food lust.  To be enslaved to exotic sensations represents sexual lust.  Pornography can become a god (Matt. 5:28).  Drugs and alcohol can become a god.
Lust gains control over a person.  Lust continues to increase its grip on the soul of man.  Once is never enough!  Although, temptation often begins with “just once.”  Addictions are born through the indulgence of the lusts of the flesh.  “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof” (Rom. 6:12).
Lust is always destructive and ruinous.  This is true because it is sin.  Paul states emphatically, “…we should not serve sin.”  Sin is destructive to the soul (Rom. 6:23). It is also true because lusts rob of us peace and unity.  “From whence come wars and fightings among you?  come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?” (James 4:1-2).  Finally, the works of the flesh will keep us from inheriting the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:19-21).
Lust destroys our appetite for the normal and the sacred.  Let’s reconsider Edmund’s story.  Edmund’s craving for Turkish Delight destroyed his normal taste for food.  Later in the story, he shares a meal of freshly caught fried fish.  “He had eaten his share of the dinner, but he hadn’t really enjoyed it because he was thinking all the time about Turkish Delight–and there’s nothing that spoils the taste of good ordinary food half so much as the memory of bad magic food.”  When we substitute evil for good, this distorts reality for us (Rom. 1:21).  Our hearts are darkened and we can no longer be trusted to perceive things the way they really are.  Our desire for the sacred and holy is diminished if not completely destroyed.
Lust can be overcome.  Life in Christ results when we are led by the Spirit.  “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:1-2).  True freedom is freedom from servitude to the lusts of the flesh.  Yet, how many believe that freedom is the license to indulge the flesh?  Only Christ has the power to break the bondage of sin and set us free in Him!

The Holy Spirit declares, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifested in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do” (Heb. 4:13).  The phrase, “in the sight of God” occurs twenty-two times in the New Testament and numerous times in the Old Testament.  Indeed, all things and all people are under the divine scrutiny of God.  There are at least six aspects to consider when searching for the meaning of this phrase: God’s watchfulness, judgment, spiritual discernment, care, approval and will.
God’s Watchfulness.
In addition to the general statement found in Heb. 4:13, Paul gives Timothy a charge under God’s watchful eye in I Tim. 6:13, “I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  James declares that we must humble ourselves in the sight of God (James 4:10). These passages capture the concept that everything we do takes place under God’s watchful eye.
God’s Judgment
After Simon the sorcerer was baptized (Acts 8:12-13), he coveted the power to be able to lay hands on someone and impart miraculous gifts.  Peter rebukes him and says, “Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God” (Acts 8:21).   God’s judgment was against the thought that one could purchase the gift of God with money. Consider these passages from Psalms.  “Arise O LORD: let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight” (Psa. 9:19).  “Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?” (Psa. 76:7).  “…he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight” (Psa. 101:7).
God’s Spiritual Discernment
In Acts 4:19, Peter and John make a choice to reject the commandment of the Sanhedrin to not speak or teach in the name of Jesus.  They did so based upon God’s perspective rather than man’s perspective.  A judgment has to be made regarding who they will follow and obey.  They ask others to make their own choice.  Then, they state that they must speak the things which they had seen and heard.  They would not be silenced because they knew God’s viewpoint on the matter.  They were more concerned about what God thought of the matter than what men thought.  God discerns the intents of the heart.  Paul writes, “For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ” (II Cor. 2:17).  Paul knew God discerned the intents of his heart.  Luke 16:15 draws a contrast between what men esteem and what God esteems.  “And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.”
God’s Care
The phrase “in the sight of God” also indicates God’s care.  God has an active concern for the disadvantaged.  “He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight” (Psa. 72:14).  Also, God cares for His saints.  “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints” (Psa. 116:15).
God’s Approval
One of the most common senses in which the phrase, “in the sight of God” is used is of the divine approval of God.  In Acts 10:31, Cornelius finds approval by God for the alms which he gave.  Paul indicates the care he had for the Corinthian church was executed in the sight of God (for God’s approval) (II Cor. 7:12).  Paul extols honesty “in the sight of the Lord, and in the sight of men” (II Cor. 8:21).  He also commends holiness in the sight of God (Col. 1:22).  The works of faith, labor of love and patience of hope are highlighted by Paul as hallmarks of the church at Thessalonica (I Thess. 1:3).  Certainly, these qualities are approved by God.  We should be God-pleasers and not men-pleasers (Heb. 13:21).  Peter commends the “meek and quiet spirit” which is in the sight of God of great price (I Pet. 3:4).  Finally, John shows that obedience is essential to pleasing God (I John 3:22).
God’s Will
Sometimes the phrase, “in the sight of God” has the sense of “according to God’s Will.”  Paul states, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:20; Gal. 3:11).  We can know what is good and acceptable “in the sight of God” because we know His will (I Tim. 2:3).  God determines what is hidden and what is revealed based upon His own purposes (Luke 10:21).
The phrase, “in the sight of God” denotes:  a God-centered perspective; a biblical perspective, a just perspective, a compassionate perspective and a God-honoring perspective.  The way to live a life that brings glory to God is to live life “in the sight of God!”

Around B.C. 1400, Joshua, the newly appointed leader of the children of Israel, led in a successful attack against the city of Jericho.  Jericho represented the “firstfruits” of the conquest of the land of Canaan by the Israelites.  During this campaign, God forbade Israel from taking any of the spoils from the battle for themselves (Joshua 6:18,19).  The spoils of the battle belonged to God.  The “accursed things” (items under the ban) were dedicated to God.
Sabatoging Success
In Joshua 7:1, 20-21, we are told that Achan coveted some of the items, stole them and hid them in the floor of his tent.  The items were:  a Babylonian garment, 200 shekels of silver and a wedge of gold that weighed 50 shekels.  Achan stole these items from God.  During the first battle of Ai, Israel mustered 3,000 men to go up against the city.  The total population of Ai was 12,000.  The men able to fight wars in Ai were few.  However, when Israel engaged in the battle with the men of Ai, they were defeated.  Thirty-six Israelites died.  These are the only causualites Israel suffered during the conquest.  Why were they defeated?  The sin of Achan sabatoged victory!  God withdrew His favor.
Securing Success.
God told Joshua that there was sin in the camp.  Joshua set up a procedure to discover the person and his sin.  A search was made among the tribes and families of Israel and Achan was revealed to be the transgressor.  Joshua confronts Achan and says, “My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.”  Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:  When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it” (Joshua 7:19-20).  God had instructed Joshua to punish him.  Achan, his family and his livestock were brought to the valley of Achor.  Achan and his family were stoned and then burnt with fire (Joshua 7:25).  The sin in the camp was purged and so Israel was sanctified before God.  This is the first step toward success.
The second step involved following the strategy that God gave Joshua for victory.  God instructed Joshua to lay an ambush against the city of Ai.  Joshua laid out the plan before his army.  Joshua divides the army of 30,000 men into two groups.  One group of 5,000 would form an ambush against Ai by positioning themselves on the west side of the city.  Joshua and the remaining army would attack from the north side of the city.  Joshua planned to withdraw after beginning to attack, in order to draw the men of Ai from the city.  He said, “…for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: therefore we will flee before them…” (Joshua 8:6-7).  When the men of Ai pursue after the Israelites, then the ambush would arise and go into the city and set it on fire.  When Joshua saw the smoke of the city going up, he would turn his army to fight the men of Ai.  The plan worked.  Israel defeated Ai that day and took all of the possessions of the people for spoil.
Lessons.
Several lessons can be drawn from this battle.  First, you win with God and you face defeat without Him.  Second, you sabotage success by sinning.  God withholds His favor. Third, you secure success thr0ugh sanctification (purging out the sin) and following the strategy God gives for victory.  Part of that strategy involves taking advantage of your enemies’ weaknesses.  The men of Ai were arrogant after they won a minor victory over Israel in the first battle.  This made them vulnerable to ambush.  Following God’s strategy for victory led to triumph.  We have power to prevail over all enemies when we team up with God, remove sin from our lives and pursue God’s will in faith.